I have a 2008 Patriot Ltd. which up until this week had been issue free. It has 57k miles on it. My wife is the primary driver and the vehicle has never been off road. I was shocked this week when the dealership called to tell me that the vehicle failed it's state inspection due to bad tie rod ends and rear brakes(?). I know some people have had bad experiences with dealerships but we've been dealing with this dealer since 2004 and we trust them and have always been treated fairly.
But I am disappointed with Chrysler for not stepping up to the plate with the tie rod/ ball joint issues that the MK's are known to have. To Chrysler's credit, years ago they did admit to problems with the KJ Liberty front suspension systems and had a recall to replace the affected lower ball joints. Why not the MK's? Even the premature rear brake replacement has me wondering how bad has Chrysler's quality control become.
Having owned several (5) Jeep vehicles since 2002, I was happy that the government bailed the company out during the height of the recent recession. But now I have to question were any lessons learned by the company to win back market share and regain customer loyalty. Although these Patriot issues may seem trivial to some, any vehicle should be able to go more than 60k miles before replacing what are normally durable parts.

I have a 2008 Patriot Ltd. which up until this week had been issue free. It has 57k miles on it. My wife is the primary driver and the vehicle has never been off road. I was shocked this week when the dealership called to tell me that the vehicle failed it's state inspection due to bad tie rod ends and rear brakes(?). I know some people have had bad experiences with dealerships but we've been dealing with this dealer since 2004 and we trust them and have always been treated fairly.
But I am disappointed with Chrysler for not stepping up to the plate with the tie rod/ ball joint issues that the MK's are known to have. To Chrysler's credit, years ago they did admit to problems with the KJ Liberty front suspension systems and had a recall to replace the affected lower ball joints. Why not the MK's? Even the premature rear brake replacement has me wondering how bad has Chrysler's quality control become.
Having owned several (5) Jeep vehicles since 2002, I was happy that the government bailed the company out during the height of the recent recession. But now I have to question were any lessons learned by the company to win back market share and regain customer loyalty. Although these Patriot issues may seem trivial to some, any vehicle should be able to go more than 60k miles before replacing what are normally durable parts.

ESP and traction control is the cause of the accelerated rear brake wear,happens on all new vehcile regardless of make/model and you can thank the goverment for that one.

Tie rod/ball joints have a limited life and now they all mostly are sealed units that can not be serviced.They did this as almost all of the owners would not grease them on a regular basis(every oil change) and the end result is very quick wear as serviceable joints require regular greasing.50k-75k is the norm for most sealed balljoints and sealed tie rod ends to start to have play and require replacement.Seviceable joints that are not greased can go as quickly as 1000miles and rarely can make it past 20k before having massive play.

ESP and traction control is the cause of the accelerated rear brake wear,happens on all new vehcile regardless of make/model and you can thank the goverment for that one.

Tie rod/ball joints have a limited life and now they all mostly are sealed units that can not be serviced.They did this as almost all of the owners would not grease them on a regular basis(every oil change) and the end result is very quick wear as serviceable joints require regular greasing.50k-75k is the norm for most sealed balljoints and sealed tie rod ends to start to have play and require replacement.Seviceable joints that are not greased can go as quickly as 1000miles and rarely can make it past 20k before having massive play.

Other manufacturers have similar equipment but not the recurring problems that seem to be plaguing Chrysler across all brand lines. We also owned a 2004 KJ that was recalled for lower ball joints yet there are apparently still similar issues with the Libertys 7 years later. I also follow posts on the Dodge Dakota forums and owners of those vehicles have also been experiencing front end issues since 2005.
I am glad the government helped Chrysler and saved thousands of jobs. But the engineers and bean counters had better start making better decisions on vendor supplied components before it's too late.

Other manufacturers have similar equipment but not the recurring problems that seem to be plaguing Chrysler across all brand lines. We also owned a 2004 KJ that was recalled for lower ball joints yet there are apparently still similar issues with the Libertys 7 years later. I also follow posts on the Dodge Dakota forums and owners of those vehicles have also been experiencing front end issues since 2005.
I am glad the government helped Chrysler and saved thousands of jobs. But the engineers and bean counters had better start making better decisions on vendor supplied components before it's too late.

I work on all makes/models at the shop I work at,I can tell you that Jeep's have the least amount of balljoint/tie rod issues compared to others and we see alot more Jeeps here then normal.GM is far the worst and toyota is not that far behind.

Sucks about the tie rod ends. I would shy away from having the dealership do any work. Shop around and you can save yourself some $$. Doing the rear brake pads yourself will only cost about $50-$75 and takes less than 1 hour. Easier then you think for sure. Dont be a sucker and do it through the dealer unless you have more $$ then sense.

RATS!!! The one issue my Compass hasn't been blessed with. Bad hydrolic actuators, leading to burned out starter, blown clutch & destroyed tranny . Not to mention bad power distribution module, headlamp switch and a balky driver's side front anti-lock sensor (that, of course, NEVER acts up when hooked to diagnostic computer!) Let me see... ah, yes, four tires & multiple alignments (lift kit related ); spark plugs at 23,000 miles & brakes all around at 37k. Oh, and a parking brake that doesn't always like to release without hard throttle in reverse. I've been told I'll have to live with it! Hard to believe I only have a little over 50k on the clock.

"There's gold in them hills" (and I'm still stuck in Florida!) ...well, in south Miss now, lol

LOL!!! My own recall seems to be slipping lately, ha ha, as I keep thinking I left something out. Anyway, to any reading this who care, lol, I've not experienced any new problems in over a year and have learned to live with Fortuneer's "quirks". The real sad part is I only get to drive her on weekends this winter as my wife's '00 Ford Focus crapped out on her and she absolutely LOATHES my little racecar, a.k.a. Neon R/T . She drives my Jeep to and from work, a modest commute of forty miles a day, five days a week. My own is only fourteen miles so I jet to work in my little black bomb. I want to get her into a Jeep of her own, as she's gotten used to mine and likes driving it, but she wants to eventually get another little wind-up toy even smaller than her ZX-3

"There's gold in them hills" (and I'm still stuck in Florida!) ...well, in south Miss now, lol

I live in Illinois and am dumfounded at the way other secretary of states "inspection" calls out worn tie rod ends and brakes. That is rediculous! This whole "big brother" attitude has crossed the line of acceptability.

I live in Illinois and am dumfounded at the way other secretary of states "inspection" calls out worn tie rod ends and brakes. That is rediculous! This whole "big brother" attitude has crossed the line of acceptability.

your right, how dare they consider catastrophic loss of steering a risk to public safety. what is the world coming to?

your right, how dare they consider catastrophic loss of steering a risk to public safety. what is the world coming to?

what that a serious statement?

Yes...I feel it's the responsibility of every car-owner to do their own maintenance. In Illinois, the state mandates emissions check...only. Living in a free society should have its privileges of not having Big Brother watching over you.

Yes...I feel it's the responsibility of every car-owner to do their own maintenance. In Illinois, the state mandates emissions check...only. Living in a free society should have its privileges of not having Big Brother watching over you.

I guess you like giving additional tax dollars to your state.

So you're 'anti- nanny state' . but unfortunately there are too many people out there that do NOT take responsibility for themselves so we all get to pay for them too.

Bob

Artificial intelligence is no substitute for natural stupidity

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Yes...I feel it's the responsibility of every car-owner to do their own maintenance. In Illinois, the state mandates emissions check...only. Living in a free society should have its privileges of not having Big Brother watching over you.

I guess you like giving additional tax dollars to your state.

my state does not require yearly safety inspections, only when the title changes hands. but i've seen what happens when harry homeowner can't afford the repairs on his car and it costs someone else. so i can see why the state (who allows you to drive on their property, the roads, btw) requires that your car passes certain requirements in order to do so. remember, driving is a privelage, not a right, and the government can make any requirements they want as long as you're driving on their roads.

my state does not require yearly safety inspections, only when the title changes hands. but i've seen what happens when harry homeowner can't afford the repairs on his car and it costs someone else. so i can see why the state (who allows you to drive on their property, the roads, btw) requires that your car passes certain requirements in order to do so. remember, driving is a privelage, not a right, and the government can make any requirements they want as long as you're driving on their roads.

Illinois..not Land of Lincoln anymore...it's the Land of Corrupt governors, increased taxes to pay state government mea-culpas, politicians, County Presidents, etc., etc., etc... Most Illinoians are sick of living here. And so are businesses. Additional taxes paid to the state (to subsidise vehicle inspections) would force riots...

Question: If Harry Homeowner can't afford to pay for repairs prior to state inspection, how would Harry pay for them after the inspection?

Sorry for hijacking this thread with another subject...I can zip my lip now...